The Contrarians

You could make an argument that none of the players involved in JERRY MAGUIRE have ever been better. Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr., Cameron Crowe… forget whatever acclaim they garnered in the future, maybe this rom-sports-com is where they peaked. Or maybe not. Maybe at least one of The Contrarians is too close to this film to judge it objectively. Listen to this Real Talk segment...

Hey, look, it’s Hollywood mega-star Tom Cruise trying to play a regular guy. Wonder if movie critics will fall for it? Of course they did! JERRY MAGUIRE is fresh on the Tomatometer despite being among the worst examples of Cameron Crowe’s mannered dialogue and overproduced soundtracks. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to figure out what exactly is Jerry so bummed about, and as they refuse to...

Okay, let’s get serious about The Flintstones - because apparently that’s how the world has decided we must judge this 1994 live-action adaptation. Is there a silent majority that thinks this movie is good and has the internet’s echo chamber fed the Tomatometer in this instance? Can we all at least agree that Halle Berry and Kyle MacLachlan are STUNNING in their prehistoric pelts? And how do The C...

You know we are too far gone as a society when we can’t appreciate the beauty of a perfect Flintstones live-action adaptation. We dare you, all of you, to propose a better cast. This was it: there won’t be a better Fred than John Goodman. And if anybody was ever going to crack the puzzle of Barney Rubble’s character, it would be Rick Moranis. But critics had to turn on the movie and now it’s infam...

By now, we know that THE SUICIDE SQUAD was basically James Gunn’s DCEU audition - one that he passed with flying colors. Would we have given him the job though? As you would expect, this Real Talk segment sees Alex struggling with his love for John Cena versus his aversion to movies that run over two hours - plus finally assimilating Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn. As for Julio, well,...

We used to wait at least a decade before giving a failed adaptation another shot at being reimagined. Now we pump out remakes, reboots, and requels faster than WB can shelve them. And that’s how we ended up with a SUICIDE SQUAD sort-of-sequel that didn’t even bother to change its title all that much. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to make sense of James Gunn’s DC cover of Guardians of the...

So here we are: Julia Roberts finally got her Oscar, three nominations in. But did she get it for the right movie? Would we still be talking about ERIN BROCKOVICH (those of us who still are) if it wasn’t known as Julia’s Oscar Win? And moving past the awards - how does this modern-day fairy tale hold up today, especially when touting it’s a true story? Lots to talk about in this Real Talk segment,...

Julia Roberts was due for an Oscar - that much most people would agree on. So in the year 2000, because a rising tide lifts all boats, ERIN BROCKOVICH became a major awards contender. Julia Roberts is the rising tide in this analogy, and the boats are all the other elements that make up Steven Soderbergh’s fairly mediocre biopic. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to make sense of this alleged...

It’s unavoidable to spend much of this Real Talk segment analyzing the tawdrier aspects of ORIGINAL SIN, but fear not, we also talk about other noteworthy elements in it. Roger Ebert liked this movie, for crying out loud! So what works and what doesn’t in this alleged love story, and how much relevance does desire have in the proceedings? Jolie, Banderas, Jane… is this a triumph for them, regardle...

Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas going at it in an R-rated movie: waaaaaay too much for America’s puritanical film critics. ORIGINAL SIN scored a shocking 12% on the Tomatometer, as if it wasn’t a masterfully crafted adult thriller that also happened to feature some no-holds-barred lovemaking. Listen to Alex & Julio as they discuss the explosive lust triangle at the center of this movie ( T...

The Contrarians turn nine! Join our annual celebration of the good, the bad, the horny, and the super white films we covered over the past twelve months as we unleash THE EMBRIES - 2023 Edition on your podcatchers! This might even convince you to check out some of the movies you skipped the first time around! TIMELINE 00:01:16 The Embries 2023 00:17:29 Supporting Actor 00:37:10 Lead Actor 00:49:11...

As tempting as it is to spend all of Real Talk comparing and contrasting Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD and Snyder’s remake, don’t worry, we manage to take the conversation in other directions. For one, Alex’s surprising disinterest in the zombie genre. For another, Julio’s inability to stop referencing Dead Alive. Does it all add up to a positive score for the OG Zombies-in-a-Mall movie? Listen to fin...

Uhhhhh… What is this? Certainly not zombies, we can tell you that much. George Romero’s much-acclaimed undead monsters amount to little more than really disoriented bluish humans. Somehow, this is enough to terrorize people in a mall for over two hours - and also enough for critics to give DAWN OF THE DEAD a fresh 93% Tomatometer score. Listen to Alex & Julio as they yearn for the fast pacing...

We are not quite John Singleton neophytes, but we are pretty close anyway. So how do we approach a Singleton flick that has been decried by many as an example of him selling out? How do we feel about the morality of FOUR BROTHERS and its celebration of vigilante justice? Are we overthinking this revenge tale or not giving it enough credit? There’s lots to chew on in this Real Talk segment, includi...

Few things are more spellbinding than seeing Mark Wahlberg on a warpath. And he’s only one of four equally badass brothers in this movie! John Singleton’s FOUR BROTHERS doesn’t get the respect it deserves on the critics side of the Tomatometer, so The Contrarians are going to set things right. Listen to Alex & Julio as they rejoice in recounting the adventures of the Mercer brothers in a world...

Contemporary Indian crowd-pleasing cinema finally makes it to our main feed after percolating in our Patreon channel for over a year! Alex & Julio have had their ups and downs with movies like Singham, Sooryavanshi and Minnal Murali, so what happens when they are tasked with giving critically maligned VIKRAM the Contrarians treatment? Is this the episode that gains us a legion of Indian fans o...

Modern Indian action cinema finally went full-Hollywood when RRR made a splash at the Oscars — but that doesn’t mean critics are ready to truly embrace the joyous lunacy that is exuded by movies like the spy thriller VIKRAM. The twisty-turny tale is considered rotten by Tomatometer standards, so it’s time for The Contrarians to set the record straight! Listen to Alex & Julio as they dive into...

We don’t often travel back to the early days of Hollywood here on The Contrarians - and we probably should, if only because so many revered classics are ripe for reevaluation. DOUBLE INDEMNITY is almost too obvious of an assignment: a celebrated entry in a genre that’s given us trouble from time to time. Can Barbara Stanwyck seduce Alex into agreeing with Rotten Tomatoes? Can Fred MacMurray talk h...

Billy Wilder, black and white cinematography, Raymond Chandler, film noir, kinky anklets. DOUBLE INDEMNITY is a collection of catnip keywords if you are a Rotten Tomatoes critic - which explains its towering 97% score on the Tomatometer. You know what that means: it’s time for Alex & Julio to dismantle a ridiculous murder plot while pointing out there’s nothing sexy about keeping sexy stuff of...

So we enjoyed The Most Likable Song, and we (predictably) scoffed at Fake Austin. But there’s more to FRANK than its songs and the presence of SXSW in the movie. Where did The Contrarians ultimately land when it came to this undercover Fassbender vehicle? Is there more to it than the talented actor’s performance? And how tricky is it to consider FRANK’s depiction of mental illness? It’s all discus...

A quirky comedy about mental health and music - that’s how you get an easy pat on the back from critics. FRANK doesn’t offer much insight into whatever illness afflicts its protagonist and the music ain’t great either, but the Tomatometer rewarded it with a 92% score, and you don’t even get to see Michael Fassbender’s face until the very end! Listen to Alex & Julio pick apart Lenny Abrahamson’...

Kathryn Bigelow won an Oscar for The Hurt Locker. James Cameron won an Oscar for Titanic. Let’s get real now: why don’t people talk about STRANGE DAYS more often? Is it because it - against all odds - isn’t good? Or was it so ahead of its time that we missed the window to truly appreciate it? Listen to Alex & Julio discuss their true feelings about a movie that reunites Mallory Knox and Jack S...

A Kathryn Bigelow movie based on a James Cameron story? A noirish thriller set around the turn of the millenium? Ralph Fiennes playing a sleazy virtual reality bootlegger? You almost can’t blame critics for giving STRANGE DAYS a fresh Tomatometer score! Unfortunately, there’s a reason why Cameron and Bigelow don’t talk about this movie very much. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to make sens...

Here’s an opening statement: THE COMMITMENTS could understandably be someone’s EMPIRE RECORDS. If you’ve been listening for a while, you know what that means. If not, don’t worry, it’s part of this Real Talk along with the unavoidable discussion about cultural appropriation charges and what The Contrarians truly thought of the self-proclaimed “Saviors of Soul”. Will Alex sing Mustang Sally? Listen...

Yikes. A bunch of white Irish kids decide they can play soul better than black people. Critics go wild with praise. Yikes again. Sir Alan Parker got away with this ode to cultural appropriation, as reflected by THE COMMITMENTS’ fresh Tomatometer score, so it’s time for The Contrarians to set things right. Listen to Alex & Julio as they discuss the rise and fall of Europe’s most offensive ficti...